


Play again?

by enfoire



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Give this boy a break, Zacharie is just tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-31 00:24:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12664536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enfoire/pseuds/enfoire
Summary: Zacharie is tired of the constant cycle of the game, so he poses a question for the Batter.





	Play again?

**Author's Note:**

> This fandom is dead but my love for this game still goes strong

“Let me see the color of your credits.”

Zacharie had gone through this exchange a million times, and was sure that he would go through it a million more. That is, until people stopped playing the game. The merchant had spent too many hours thinking of ways to somehow change what had already been written. He had thought of many scenarios in which he could try to convince the Batter to change his mind, desperate for that spark of hope.

It never came.

He hummed idly as the Batter and his puppeteer mulled through their choices.

_Somewhere over the rainbow_

He tapped his fingers on the wooden surface before him, taking his opportunity to look at the Batter. After all these years, Zacharie had memorized each crease, line, and dip of skin on his face. How his fingers were long and pale. How soft blue veins arose on the tops of his hands. There were callouses oh his palms, and his lips were always slightly chapped. His eyes were the softest color of blue, as if the sky itself was trapped in them. He smelled lightly of cigarettes and coffee. There was always the hint of bags under his eyes. Zacharie wondered what made the man in front of him so tired. He wondered if he indulged in cigarettes after eradicating adversaries, or if the scent lingered from a time before he stepped into the zones.

After making his purchase, Batter slid the credits into the merchant’s hand and departed. Briefly, Zacharie felt the rough palms of his hand. His eyes hesitated on Zacharie for a slight moment. Like he knew what the merchant was thinking. Zacharie almost wished that he did. Maybe he’d feel remorse. Maybe he wouldn’t do it. _A fool’s prayer_ , the merchant thought. The Batter departed from him.

Watching him walk away, Zacharie said a silent prayer that he wouldn’t find Sugar this time. At least when she was here, waiting for the next player wasn’t as bad. His favorite endings were the ones where the player didn’t kill sugar, and chose the Judge’s ending. The world remained behind, and he had Pablo and Sugar to pass the time with.

Of course, when another player came, it was all set back to its proper place. No one would remember the past play-throughs except for the masked merchant.

The worst ones were when sugar was killed, and Batter succeeded. He would be left in the crushing darkness for days, begging to whatever god there was for another player to come along and breathe life into them again, even for a few hours. That was all it took to reset Zacharie’s sanity once more. But only briefly. The cycle was vicious, this Game was unforgiving.

He was scared for the day when the last player would come. At that time, Zacharie had a huge chance of being plunged into darkness forever, the game waiting for the possibility of another player.  Who knows, maybe when it was all said and done he would be permanently wiped out. They would all finally be free.

But he wouldn’t bet money on that possibility.

Zacharie wished the Batter could kill him. Just one good swing of the bat and his brains would splatter upon the filthy white floor. Dark red against the pure white. His blood would mingle with the others on Batter’s uniform. He wouldn’t have to wait in the dark, he would just reset like everyone else. Every cell in his body yearned for this possibility.

-

Once again he stood before the Queen’s door, instructing Batter to save one last time, and maybe buy something while he’s here.

The Batter bought the most expensive bat Zacharie had and equipped it. He took the credits happily, even though they would be no use to him now. Zacharie gave him his last words, a smile cracking behind his mask at Batter’s confused expression. The merchant always found it interesting when he gave even hints of emotion.

But he felt like he was going to burst. The time had come for Batter’s final battle. And Zacharie knew the fate that soon awaited him. Batter moved past Zacharie dismissively, his hand going to open the door before him. It was the only thing standing between him and _her_.

The merchant quickly grew anxious. He needed to at least try something. Maybe he would be successful. Maybe he would finally _die_. Before the Batter opened the door, Zacharie called out.

“Hey, amigo.”

Batter froze. As if he knew that Zacharie was breaking script. He cocked his head towards the masked man anyways, curious. “Yes, Zacharie?” There was a slight hint of curiosity in his voice. It excited the merchant, he never heard anything out of him besides the normal monotonous tone. He was on a roll today.

“If you could kill me, would you do it?”

The Batter looked startled, then confused. He looked to the door in front of him, and began to think. The merchant watched the way he pursed his lips in thought. Zacharie felt his palms beginning to sweat, so he rubbed them on his pants. _Fuck,_ he thought. _I really am going to fuck things up._

“Never mind, it was a dumb question. Go finish your job.” To add emphasis, the merchant gave a short chuckle. Batter didn’t look like he was buying it. Zacharie felt like he was running out of oxygen, as if the room felt much too small all of a sudden. He felt like every atom of his was screaming for some type of release from this cycle, it was driving him mad.

The Batter spoke, tearing Zacharie away from his thoughts. “I wouldn’t have. You’re not impure like the rest of them were.” He looked back at Zacharie, his face now void of any emotions. Zacharie wondered if Batter was capable of any real emotions. He had only seen brief glimpses of them, but they left much too quickly. Meanwhile the merchant felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“I’ve killed before, you know.” His mouth went dry, hands shaking. He was desperate. Maybe with this knowledge, Batter would change his mind.

At this, Batter hesitated. “The Toad King? I think you had the same goal as me. He was impure, so you purified him. If anything, I’d say that you’re a purifier yourself.” Zacharie felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t want to be compared to the man who had killed his friends a hundred times over. He just wanted the Batter to raise that stupid bat and give him comfort. Zacharie felt a lump in his throat, and in this moment he was very glad for the mask that covered his face. He could feel hot tears spring up in his eyes, daring to run down his cheeks. At least now he knew that Batter wasn't an option. 

The Batter waited for a response of some sort, but Zacharie had none. He just stared off into the distance. He didn't want Batter to see him cry because Batter wouldn't kill him. It was absurd.

Batter noticed how his hands trembled, how his fingers twitched. He was never a comforting man, so he gave the merchant one last glance before entering through the door. After all, his still had a mission to complete. He didn’t have time to entertain the merchant anymore. Minutes later, everything was once again swallowed in an inky blackness. It never took him long to kill the Queen and The Judge. Zacharie had tried many times to try and talk Pablo out of the confrontation, but to no avail. 

As he settled into the familiar darkness once more, Zacharie wished that there would be no more players.


End file.
